Kirk Franklin Reconnects w/ Father Who Has 3 to 6 Months To Live

Kirk Franklin Reconnects w/ Father Who Has 3 to 6 Months To Live

Gospel legend Kirk Franklin is facing an uncomfortable bout with forgiveness as it relates to his father. He revealed in an Instagram post that he has recently connected with his father, whom he has never met, and was told that he is dying of a terminal illness. Kirk captioned:

“@kirkfranklin So….. Two days ago, I received an anonymous call that my biological father, who I never knew, has 3-6 months to live. I’ve lived my entire life hating this man. He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough….to this very day. I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own. But what I did wrong, is I never took that fuel, and turn it into forgiveness….and that is wrong. Wrong for him, me, and the God I proclaim to represent. How can I preach what I don’t practice. So I flew to Houston yesterday to do that. It’s painful, it’s a process, but how disappointed I would be in myself for this man to leave this earth without being forgiven. He deserves to receive what God gives me everyday. Pray for him, and for me. God this is hard…I weep as I write.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

So….. Two days ago, I received an anonymous call that my biological father, who I never knew, has 3-6 months to live. I’ve lived my entire life hating this man. He and my biological mother gave me up for adoption, and it left me never feeling good enough….to this very day. I took my hate for him and used it as fuel to be the best father I could be for my own. But what I did wrong, is I never took that fuel, and turn it into forgiveness….and that is wrong. Wrong for him, me, and the God I proclaim to represent. How can I preach what I don’t practice. So I flew to Houston yesterday to do that. It’s painful, it’s a process, but how disappointed I would be in myself for this man to leave this earth without being forgiven. He deserves to receive what God gives me everyday. Pray for him, and for me. God this is hard…I weep as I write.

A post shared by Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin) on Sep 16, 2018 at 7:11am PDT

Shortly thereafter, Kirk posted a childhood photo of himself with this caption:

“@kirkfranklin IMAGINE ME.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

IMAGINE ME. ???????

A post shared by Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin) on Sep 17, 2018 at 5:29am PDT

Ironically, that caption is the title of one of the hit singles from his 2005 album, “Hero.” The song’s lyrics directly tackle the insecurities surrounding his father’s absence and his self-esteem that he mentioned in the post about his ailing father. Some of the lyrics read:

“Lord, can you imagine me?
Over what my mama said
And healed from what my daddy did and
I wanna live and not read that page again

Imagine me being free, trusting you totally
Finally I can…
Imagine me
I admit it was hard to see
You being in love with someone like me
Finally I can…
Imagine me”

He continued to highlight his father’s absence in the spoken portion of the song. Kirk said:

“This song is dedicated to people like me.
Those that struggle with insecurities, acceptance and even self-esteem.
You’ve never felt good enough, you’ve never felt pretty enough
But imagine God whispering in your ear letting you know that everything that has happened is now…
…gone, gone, it’s gone, all gone
what your mother did, what your father did, Hallelujah”

We wish Kirk Franklin and his family the best in his journey with his father.

Written by Miata Shanay